Wednesday, December 20, 2017

27 Great Books to Share at Christmas

I've done a number of posts on children's picture books for Christmas
on this blog. As teachers and families approach Christmas you might
like to consider the many books that can be shared. In this revised
version of an earlier post I feature 26 books that are quite varied.
Some of the books are quite faithful to the traditional Christmas story,
while
others are based on elements of the Christmas story or themes from
biblical teaching on Jesus life, including love, devotion, kindness,
forgiveness and sacrifice. Here are some of best examples that you can
find. Many of these books can be used even with children aged 8-12
years.

Above: Carols by Candlelight an Aussie Tradition

At the heart of the Christmas story is the birth of
Jesus, which Christians celebrate on the 25th December. While for many, the celebration of
Christmas has become disconnected from its traditional purpose of
remembering and celebrating Jesus' birth some 2,000 years ago, it is
told and retold in varied forms each year at this time.

1. Books based closely on the biblical story of Jesus birth

The Christmas Rose by Wendy Blaxland & illustrated by Lucy Hennessy

This is a beautifully told story that traces elements of the story of the birth of Jesus.

The fields near Bethlehem are filled with great joy when angels
appear telling of the birth of a very special baby. Madelon’s uncle, his
men, and the magnificent kings riding on camels all have gifts for the
Saviour. But Madelon has nothing. What could she possibly give him? This version of the Christmas story uses the efforts of a small child to follow others to see the Christ Child. A beautiful illustration of those who would spend great effort to come and adore Him.

The rich and evocative oil paintings by fine artist Lucy Hennessy are stunning and in their muted softness leaves the reader to imagine the scene in all of its mystery and richness.

The Nativity
by Julie Vivas is a wonderful book. The story is close to the Bible
narrative and the illustrations as you'd expect from Julie Vivas are
superb.

The Christmas Book, written
and illustrated by Dick Bruna. Bruna's delightful and simple
telling of the nativity story is special. He manages to tell the
greatest story ever told with his typical simplicity. This one is
suitable even for preschool children.

That cold winter's night, beneath the star's light... ...a Little One came for the world.

First
kind Ox welcomes Old Dog, then Stray Cat, Small Mouse, Tired Donkey,
and finally the baby Jesus into his stable on the first Christmas night.
Delightful story that tells of the momentous event.

A Baby Born in Bethlehem,
Martha Whitmore Hickman's retelling is based on the gospels of Luke
and Matthew. It begins with the revelation to Mary that she will have a
child who will be the son of God and ends with the visit of the Wise
Men. The text emphasizes the joy of Jesus' birth. Giulliano Ferri's
pencil and watercolour illustrations contribute to making this a great
book for four to eight year olds.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
tells the story of how one of the "worst Kids" in the world finds out
about the real Christmas story for the first time as he takes part in
the church Christmas pageant. The story itself is very funny but it
also manages to communicate the Christian message accurately.

The Baby Who Changed the Worldby
Sheryl Ann Crawford, Sonya Wilson (Illustrator). In this imaginative
retelling of the Christmas story, the animals get together and discuss
the approaching arrival of a new baby that some say will grow up to be a
strong and powerful King. When Mary and Joseph enter the picture and
the events of the true Christmas story unfold!

The Christmas Story: According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke from the King James Versionby
Gennadii Spirin (Illustrator). This telling of the Christmas story
begins with Mary's meeting with the angel Gabriel then proceeds to the
birth of baby Jesus in a stable, the visit of the shepherds and the
three wise men. Spirin's Orthodox Christian faith is reflected in the
wonderful art that makes this a special retelling of the story of Jesus
(although not all will find the images match their idea of what Jesus
might have looked like).

Mary's Christmas Story, by Olive Teresa. There are a number of different retellings of the Christmas Story available in the Arch Books
series. Most are told from the perspective of different witnesses to
the birth of Jesus or draw more heavily on one of more of the gospel
accounts. This one retells the Christmas story from Mary's point of view based on Luke 1:5-2:18.

First
published in 1934 (64 years after his death), this is the story of the
life of Jesus and was written by Dickens for his children. While rarely
included in his complete works, it is a delightful retelling of the
Bible's account of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection. Dickens
takes the King James (Authorized) version of the gospel of Jesus, and
makes it accessible to his children. There are elements of his telling
of the biblical tale that some Christians might feel offers only some of
the many facets of Jesus character. But, as well as being a beautifully
written retelling of the Bible's account, what I love about it is that
it offers an insight into the man Dickens writing in the middle of the
19th century. It shows his Christian faith, his love for his children
and even some of the family prayers. Lovers of Dickens will enjoy the
book, as will children, who will respond well to the story itself, as
well as its literary qualities, and the personal nature of the telling.
There are a number of editions of the book including the Simon &
Schuster (1999) version pictured left that is still available.

2. Books that use the Christmas theme to offer moral lessons

This category of books is quite large. They typically
use the Christmas celebration or season as the setting for a human
story that teaches something about one or more fine human qualities
that are consistent with Christian teaching; for example, love,
kindness, generosity, forgiveness and sacrifice.

The Christmas Eve Ghost, by Shirley Hughes (2010)Walker Books
has just published this wonderful book in time for Christmas. It is
written and illustrated by one of my favourite English
author/illustrators, Shirley Hughes. At 83 years of age Shirley is still
producing wonderful books. It is a classic example of books in this
category. It doesn't really mention the Christmas story at all but uses
Christmas as one of its themes to highlight kindness against the
background of sectarian differences between Catholic and Protestant
residents of Liverpool in the 1930s (the place and time of her
childhood). Without saying it, Hughes offers the message that Christmas
is a time when people should connect with one another in love, kindness
and service.

The book tells the story of a mother and
her two children, living in poverty. The mother cares for the children
and earns just enough to survive by washing other people's clothing. On
Christmas Eve 'Mam' has to leave the children in bed while she goes off
to deliver a batch of washing. The children awake to strange noises (as
it turns out they are 'natural' noises) and flee the house in fear
straight into the arms of Mrs O'Riley from next door, a person their
mother doesn't speak to for reasons not clear until the end. It's a
wonderful book with a touching resolution.

A Christmas Carol,
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Robert Ingpen (2008). This
probably deserves to be in a category of its own. The miserly Ebenezer
Scrooge is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of
ghostly visitors. This is essentially a fable that stresses that
Christmas should be a time of goodwill towards mankind. There have
been many versions printed of this classic story first published in
1843 with wonderful illustrations by John Leech. Published in 2008
this new edition has to be one of the best illustrated versions that
I've seen, which isn't surprising as Robert Ingpen is one of the
finest illustrators we have seen in the last 50 years. The edition
also contains Dickens story Christmas Tree that offers an insight into a
Victorian Christmas of the 1850s.

Used by permission of Walker Books

How the Grinch stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss. This is one of my favourites within this category. The
Grinch lives on top of a mountain that overlooks Whoville. As he
watches the villagers getting ready to celebrate Christmas he comes up
with a plot to stop them. But instead of stealing Christmas he learns
that Christmas means much more than the trappings such as gifts,
decorations and food. I used to read this
to my children at Christmas time and now they read it to their
children as part of their Christmas traditions (my daughter did a post
on this here). You can also watch the video version of this story that has been popular with children for over 50 years (here).

Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey,
by Susan Wojciechowski and illustrated by P.J. Lynch. This story
focuses on Jonathan Toomey who is the best woodcarver in the valley. But
he bears a secret sorrow, and never smiles or laughs. When the widow
McDowell and her son ask him to carve a creche in time for Christmas,
their quiet request leads to a joyful miracle, as they heal the
woodcarver's heart and restore his faith.

Wombat Divine,
by Mem Fox and illustrated by Kerry Argent. This wonderful story tells
of the quest of a wombat to find the perfect part to play in the annual
Nativity play. He tries out every part without success until he finds
one that he carries off with distinction.

The Nativity Play,
by Nick Butterworth and Mick Inkpen. This is the story of a group of
children who put on their own nativity play. There is a much creativity
that is needed to get the show on the road.

3. Stories based on Christmas traditions

For those
who are more interested in Christmas traditions than the traditional
Christmas story, there are masses of books that take the Christmas theme
in all sorts of directions (some quite strange). However, there are
some that have literary merit and are enjoyable stories to read at
Christmas and suit the needs of families that are from non-Christian
traditions. Some of the better examples follow.

This wonderful Christmas tale from Mexico was written in 1959 and won Marie Hall Ets the Caldecott Medal
for illustration in 1960. It is the story of 5 year-old Ceci, who ready
for her first Posada. This is a a fourteen day festival (ending on
Christmas Eve) in which entire towns participate. There are great things
to eat, music, ritual and traditional dress to wear.
But for Ceci, she is most excited that she will have her own piñata to
fill with special things that all the village children can share. As
well as being about Christmas, this is a wonderful insight into Mexican
culture. Marie Hal Ets collaborator was Aurora Labastida who grew up in
Mexico and this his her story and her memories of Christmas.

This book is a collection of letters that Tolkien wrote to his children over a period of 23 years. Every December an
envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R.
Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery
handwriting and a beautiful coloured drawing or painting. The letters
were from Father Christmas.
Tolkien shares wonderful tales of life at the
North Pole. A reindeer gets loose and scatters presents all over
the place, an accident-prone North Polar Bear climbs the North
Pole and falls through the roof, Santa accidentally breaks the moon into
four pieces and the Man (in
the moon!) falls into the back garden and many more. This is Tolkien at
his creative best, but what's special is that they are personal
communications between him and his children. His last letter is a
beautiful farewell from Father Christmas with an underlying message of
hope and continuity. If you love Tolkien you will like this collection.
It's available in an enhanced eBook format as well, which has a number
of other features (see video below). These include audio recordings of
many of the letters read by Sir Derek Jacobi and the ability to expand
each of the images of the original letters and envelopes (some never published before).

The Night Before Christmas, Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Robert Ingpen (2010). This is a wonderful new release from Walker Books.
Just the mention of Robert Ingpen's name will get me excited, because
surely he is one of Australia's greatest illustrators. This is the best
illustrated version of the classic Clement Moore poem that I know of.
Moore wrote the poem for his children and first read it to them on
Christmas Eve 1822. A friend sent it anonymously to a New York
newspaper in 1823 and once published it quickly became well known. Only
in 1844 did Moore claim authorship. Many attribute much of our
contemporary portrayal of Santa Claus to this poem. Who can forget the
start:

'Twas the night before Christmas

when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring

not even a mouse...

Ingpen's
depiction of Santa as a mischievous and happy old man sits well with
the traditional myth. His usual immaculate line drawings are in
evidence, but this time they are softened by a gentle wash that gives an
ethereal feel to the drawings. The 'soft' lines also sit well with the
traditional northern white Christmas.

Suzy Goose and the Christmas Star,
by Petr Horacek (2010). This is another new release from Walker
Books. It is a perfect book for preschoolers or young children up to 6
or 7 years. Suzy and her farmyard friends are gathered on Christmas Eve
around their Christmas tree and she notices that something is missing -
a star on top of the tree! She cries to her friends, "It needs a star on top....Just like the one in the sky. I'll get it."
So she sets off to 'get it' with some amusing episodes along the way
before the surprising solution. Young kids will love this book. It is
well written and beautifully illustrated by Petr Horacek. Again, it
barely mentions Christmas, but parents and teachers could speak more
about Christmas using this story as the springboard.

Finding Christmas,
by Helen Ward. This slightly mystical book was voted in the top 10
Christmas books in 2004. It tells the story of a little girl in a bright
red coat and bright green boots who wanders at dusk from shop to shop
looking for “the perfect present to give to someone special.” Things
look hopeless until she is drawn to the bright window of a toy shop
filled with colourful toys.

All I want for Christmas
by Deborah Zemke. What does a skunk want for Christmas? French perfume!
What does a spider want? A spinning wheel! Deborah Zemke's wonderful
art and
great sense of humour makes this a hit. I wonder what they will want?

Emily and the big bad bunyip,
by Jackie French and illustrated by Bruce Whateley. It′s Christmas Day
in Shaggy Gully. Can Emily Emu and her friends possibly make the Bunyip
smile this Christmas? All the animals are in a good mood except the
Bunyip. He proclaims, ′I′m mad and I′m mean! Bunyips don′t like Christmas!′

This
poor bear has never seen a Christmas because of he hibernates each
year. This year, his forest friends vow to wake him up and keep him up
for their Christmas celebration. This is a delightful story told in
rhyme. Bear's friends give him a wonderful
Christmas. They decorate his den, find a Christmas tree,
make some decorations and sing Christmas carols. Does Bear stay up?

Mooseltoeby Margie Palatini, Henry Cole (Illustrator). This one is a lot of fun

The Nutcracker by Janet Schulman & E. T. A. Hoffmann, illustrated by Renee Graef. A version of the classic tale.

The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg. A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a
boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus. This
book won the 1986 Caldecott Medal and of course has been made into a
movie.

Summing Up

There
are endless books that have written about Christmas. When choosing a
suitable book to read to your children try to find one that is faithful
to the Christmas story and which is appropriate for your children's
age. Even those books that mention only tangentially the real Christmas
story can be a good springboard for the discussion of the central
meaning of Christmas.

Parents or teachers who want to share the traditional Christmas story can use
one of the many wonderful children's Bibles available for children of
varying ages in modern translations. For example, Lion Hudson has
published a variety of versions that paraphrase the Bible accurately
and with illustrations that children will find meaningful and enjoyable
(more information here).
You can also use an adult Bible with primary aged children and can
simply read the appropriate section from the gospels of Matthew (here) or Luke (here).

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About Me

I am a Professor of Education at The University of Sydney, Australia. I have spent a large part of my adult life as a teacher, academic, researcher and senior university administrator. My interests are varied, including how children learn language and literacy, the nature and construction of meaning, curriculum, pedagogy, and adult learning.